CH 76

It’s a Love Comedy in a Different World



“My name is Itsuki and I am Shi’s father. Kotaro-kun, I hope you will not be too nervous today and take it easy.”



–I think it is wrong using this kind of expression for an older man.



Somehow, I thought he was a cute uncle.



He was an ordinary-looking man with dark hair and dark eyes. If I had been a child, I would have definitely poked his tummy.



If I were to use a metaphor, it would be a balloon.



It is round, fluffy, and very soothing to look at.



Such a person seems to be Shiho’s father.



I wonder how old he is.



He looks young or middle-aged, but I think it could be taken either way.



Satsuki is quite youthful, so he looks older relatively speaking. It seems like they are pretty far apart in age …… Hmmm, I wasn’t sure.



Well, I don’t really care about age.



They love each other and are married. The age difference and such things would be a trivial matter, …… because they seem so happy right now that it seemed tactless for outsiders to think about anything strange.



“Shi is still working in the kitchen, so why don’t you come over here first, Kotaro? Let’s have a little chat, man to man. Oh, I don’t mean that in a weird way, okay? I’m not so hot-blooded that I would say that you can’t touch my daughter.”



Shaking his plump belly, Itsuki-san laughs.



“I see. Kotaro, do you hear that? He is not a very hot-blooded man. But he is not cold-blooded either, okay Don’t get that part wrong, okay?”



Seeing him like this, Satsuki was entranced.



The calm atmosphere she had earlier had blown away somewhere, and she looked like a little girl who had met the prince of her dreams.



“Oh ……, maybe. Whenever I ask you, you must be happy that Kotaro is here, right?　You know, we wanted to have a son, too~.”



“Of course. Well, we don’t know yet whether Kotaro-kun will be our son or not, so let’s not say anything that will put pressure on him. …… Sorry, Kotaro-kun. I hope you don’t have to worry about anything today.”



His beaming smile almost relaxed my body.



Perhaps because I was quite nervous in front of Satsuki, I almost collapsed at the gap. As it was, I sat down on the sofa opposite of Itsuki-san.



“I’m going to check on Shi-chan, so you two can chat, okay?”



“I understand. Phew, now we can finally have a man-to-man conversation.”



“Well…. I’m disturbing you, aren’t I? Hmmm …… remember me later.”



……They get along so well. You can tell from every word they speak that they both care about each other.



It was the ideal way to be a married couple.



To be honest, I am also quite concerned about them.



Satsuki-san and Itsuki-san…… come to think of it, they have similar names, but I wonder if there is a reason for that. I’m sure they would tell me if I asked them, but we’ve never met before and I don’t want to go into it too much.



Itsuki-san seems kind, though, so I’m sure he won’t be a jerk about it.



It seems a little different to take advantage of that kindness.



This is only our first meeting…… I’m sure we’ll have a chance to have a deeper conversation at a later date.



There is more to do today than that.



That is to let them know about me.



It’s only natural, since I’m friends with their daughter Shiho.



As a parent, you must be wondering what kind of person your daughter’s friend is.



“So, Kotaro-kun…”



Immediately, Itsuki-san is trying to ask about me.



I don’t want to give a bad impression as much as possible, but there is no point in lying, so I will answer truthfully–that’s what I thought and braced myself for it.



However, Itsuki-san was …… kind, after all.



“Kotaro-kun, what kind of food do you like?”



“Eh …………?”



When he asked me, I was out of the loop.



I had expected to be asked about hobbies, grades, future dreams, …… and other such status information, but what Itsuki-san wanted to know was something trivial.



“Oh, you don’t like food? Sorry, Uncle loves to eat, so we tend to talk about food all the time.”



“No, no, I don’t dislike it. Let’s see, …… I think egg rolls are delicious.”



What I was remembering was the egg rolls from the bento that Shiho and I would share at lunchtime. All of Satsuki’s homemade dishes are delicious, but I think the egg rolls that are always included are somehow the best.



“Oh, we are on the same page. Uncle likes egg rolls, too. Then there is fried chicken, curry, meat, fish, vegetables, carbohydrates, and noodles.”



“Isn’t that all of it?”



“Oh, yes, I do. I don’t have likes and dislikes, that’s what’s good about being an uncle.”



I guess it’s …….



It’s a very relaxing conversation.



The good-natured smile, the gentle tone of his voice, and the rounded visuals make me feel naturally relaxed.



“Kotaro-kun, do you like to study? My daughter seems to hate it, but you don’t have to work too hard, right It’s worse for your health if you push yourself too hard.”



“I wonder if you like playing games or not? My daughter seems to love it, and I can get her to play with me, but I can’t keep up with the youngsters’ sensibilities ……, so lately you’ve been playing with her, and it’s been a big help.”



“Kotaro, do you like the heat? Uncle hates it because he has this look. I’m always in my fat, so it’s too hot for me in the summer. It’s almost fall, so it’s finally time for uncle.”



–Every conversation I had with Itsuki-san was like this.



This person, it seems, is not really interested in my status, position, or standing.



What he wanted to know was the ‘humanity’ of …… me.



He is especially interested in ‘what I like’. Thanks to this, I was forced to think only about what I like, which naturally made me feel more cheerful.



He is a strange person, …… really.



I feel comfortable and pleasant to be with him. It goes beyond the level of friendliness and so on.



He is just so kind.



Anyway, warm.



He was inclusive enough to convince me that it was because he was that kind of person that he was loved by the main heroine, …… Satsuki-san.



Surely, the romantic comedy could not have been framed as ordinary.



Satsuki is such a demanding main heroine. She is so complete as a character that even Ryuzaki, let alone me, could not intervene in her romantic comedy.



The man who loved her and made her happy was Itsuki-san.



What kind of a person is he?



I think there is more to him than just being kind.



I wanted to know that, too.



Someday, when I’m able to “love” that girl, the main heroine, with my …… heart in my …… chest, I’d like to use her as a reference…….